HOUNDÉ — The Tuy province in Burkina Faso observed a delayed celebration of National Tree Day (JNA) on Saturday, July 6, 2024, initiating a robust reforestation campaign aimed at combating environmental degradation.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the event, held in Karaba within the commune of Houndé, saw the planting of 506 trees across approximately 2 hectares. The species planted included baobabs, nérés, jujube trees, and caïlcedrats. “The National Tree Day aims to magnify the tree for its numerous goods and services rendered to man and to arouse popular enthusiasm with a view to carrying out concrete actions for the greening of our dear homeland,” Bationo stated during the launch, which was officiated by High Commissioner Issiaka Segda.
Bationo highlighted the severe environmental challenges faced by Burkina Faso, noting that the country loses an average of 243,450 hectares of plant formations annually, with a total area of degraded land estimated at 5,921,078 hectares. To combat these losses, the province plans to produce 224,000 plants and plant 222,000 during the 2024 reforestation campaign.
The president of the special municipal delegation, Souleymane Dianda, underscored the need to regreen the area, particularly due to the impact of gold panning and land pressure in Houndé. “I take this opportunity to remind the entire population of Houndé of our individual and collective responsibility to work for the protection and preservation of the environment, a guarantee of our health and sustainable development,” Dianda expressed.
The High Commissioner, Issiaka Segda, urged the local population not only to plant trees but also to maintain them to fully benefit from their goods and services. The Provincial Director thanked the Ouagadougou-Koudougou-Dédougou-Bobo-Dioulasso (OKDB) project for its support in organizing the activity.
As a note, the official JNA 2024 was previously held on June 22, 2024, in Bobo-Dioulasso under the theme “Tree, capital of resilience for endogenous development.”